ReneK

Congratulations! You look amazing!

I have been going to concerts since I was eleven when my dad took me to see the Rolling Stones. Since then I have been to close to a hundred big name shows and about three dozen live local shows. Every show I have ever been to I have bought a shirt and they were a huge part of my wardrobe; I took very good care of them, made them look cool with jeans, shorts, little skirts, tights, boots, flats, heels, scarves,cardigans, blazers, etc.
Obviously the ones I bought when I was much younger (early teens) didn't fit for very long but then in the last three years, none of them fit well. It felt as if a piece of my identity grew too small for me and it made me sad. I sealed them up, boxed them up and stored them away.
Last night as I was pulling out the last of my Halloween goodies, locating Thanksgiving/Christmas "stuff", I decided I'd bring the box of concert T's in to see if any of them would fit.
All but a dozen or so looked good. Not just fit but look good. I was stoked! And I know that once they get too big, I'm going to make a quilt for my King Size bed out of them! Then I'll start collecting ones in a size that I can strut until the threads wear out.

Your date is SO close! How is the pre-op diet going? I'm having nerves because i'm not hearing much from my surgeon's office.

Thanks for the welcome, everyone. This forum has been a God send already

Hi, everyone. I'm Rene. I am 55-years-old and live in Salt Lake City. I have two sons, 17 and 22. I have a wonderful, supportive husband. I decided in August to pursue the WLS path. I have been overweight all of my life. And, although I've successfully lost weight a few times, it never stays off. Now it's starting to really impact the way I feel. My back aches. I can't walk more than a few minutes at a time. It just is unacceptable. I've tried a couple times since the first of the year to lose on my own and it's just not happening. I'm also a type 2 diabetic. I need to make big changes to ensure I'm around to see my grandkids. I have decided to have gastric bypass and am working with a group here in SLC, trying to get everything done so I can have surgery before the end of the year. I have a deadline because my insurance may change at the beginning of the year. I started the 90-day pre-surgery supervised plan required by my insurance in mid august. I'm nervous that my insurance will screw me up but I can't worry too much, at this point. I've read quite a few of the stories on here and I'm glad I've found some place that i feel like I can get support and ask questions.

Hi! I am using their office, too. My surgeon is Dr Richards. They are always so busy! I'm glad you called them. I'm still in my 90-day pre-op period. That will be done this next month. I need to be scheduled before the end of the year because my insurance is changing. Good luck and we should stay in touch!

Congratulations!

I had very similar statistics when I dated online. Met my hubby on mySpace -- almost 10 years ago!

I had very similar statistics when I dated online. Met my hubby on mySpace -- almost 10 years ago!

I love soup! I have always been a Soup lover and have fallen deeper in love since having RNY surgery.
I made the following soup(s) tonight, Sunday night and will be making the third one on Friday night.
Sharing is caring!
Low Carb Avgolemeno (Greek chicken, Lemon & Egg Soup) INGREDIENTS 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken 10 cups chicken stock or broth 3 eggs ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice 2 cups cooked spaghetti squash ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped salt and pepper to taste freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional) INSTRUCTIONS Add the chicken and broth to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and lemon juice together until frothy. Slowly whisk 2 cups of hot stock into the egg mixture - don't just dump it in or you'll end up with scrambled eggs! Once the stock has been incorporated into the egg mixture, add back to the pot. Stir in the spaghetti squash and gently reheat the soup if necessary - don't bring to a boil or the eggs may curdle. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese (optional). NOTE: Approx nutrition info per serving: 289 calories, 15g fat, 4g net carbs, 33g Protein Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup Ingredients 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 medium yellow onion, diced 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 jalapeno, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes 2 cups chicken stock 1 tbsp chili powder 1 tbsp cumin 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp paprika Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped 1 avocado, pitted and sliced Instructions Add the chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic on top of the chicken. Pour the diced tomatoes and chicken stock over the top. Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. Use a fork to shred the chicken before serving. Garnish with cilantro and avocado.
meat and vegetables 1 pound of ground meat 2 onions chopped about 5 yellow squash, cut into small pieces 1 cup of shredded carrots 2 large cans of tomatoes, undrained 3 cups of beef broth ⅓ cup of heavy whipping cream 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (more for topping) 2 tsp of salt 1 tsp of pepper 1 tsp of red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning 1 tsp of garlic powder 1 tsp of cumin powder ½ tsp of glucomannan (optional) Instructions Heat your coconut oil in your heavy soup pot. Brown your meat. Add your chopped onions and cook until translucent. Next, add in your carrots and squash, tomatoes, broth, and seasoning. Let simmer for 1 hour. Add in your heavy whipping cream and cheese and stir to combine and cook an additional hour. Sprinkle the glucomannan on top over soup and mix in well to thicken your soup. I like to let my soup cook for a good 3 hours to get the flavors really combined together. Serve with additional cheese on top.

I have Aetna and I have to meet with the nutritionist and trainer monthly. Luckily, my surgeon's office has them on staff! Last appointment is Nov 11. Hopefully, we can submit to insurance and get a surgery date after that!

This is truly unbelievable and impossible IF you actually had the gastric bypass! I have heard talk of "lurkers" on this site. I think you may be one!!

I have hit onederland, after 29 years I am under two hundred pounds. Very happy, hubby likes to buy me clothes, furbabies can both sit in my lap, grandson can hug around me, and I like what I see when I walk by a window. It's a good day.

Ok, I admit it...
I’ve been slack.
For the past six weeks, I’ve not been concentrating on ANYTHING related to my post-sleeving care.
I’ve not been making sure I’m having enough protein…
I’ve not been getting all my Water in…
I’ve not been thinking about what I eat..
Yes, I’ve still been going to the gym…
Yes, I’ve still been losing weight…
But what if I’d stuck to my plan all along and kept up the water/protein/good food thing?
How much further along would I have been?
Relatively speaking, six weeks is a long time.
It’s 17(ish)% of my sleeved life.
17%.
It doesn’t sound like much.
It’s not even a fifth of something.
But think about this…
What if I was 17% ahead of where I am with my weight loss…
What if, instead of being thrilled that I’ve lost 150lb, I was celebrating losing 175.5 lb.
That’s nearly 80kg in my terms.
And it’s 17% more…
But fear not…
I know what the reality is…
The reality is that I’ve nobody to blame but myself.
I chose to not get my Protein in…
I chose to not keep check on my water…
I chose to not watch my calories…
(And I also chose to drink alcohol a few times in there too… Shhhhhh)
Well you know what…
I’m choosing again.
Actually, I chose it last week.
That’s when I started a countdown in my profile feed.
To those who noticed it, it would have been random and quite possibly, nonsensical.
But to me, it was making a choice.
Re-making a choice.
Call it a do-over..
A re-launch..
Call it whatever you like
As of 0445 this morning (when I woke up), I’ve taken responsibility for myself again.
No more coasting thru this sleeved life..
No more taking losing weight for granted..
No more forgetting where I came from..
What I came from…
How far I’ve come…
This sleeve shit is NOT easy!!
This sleeve shit is NOT cheating!!
I have lost this weight…
Me..
Nobody else…
And you know what?
I’m about to lose a whole lot fu***ng more!!!

Not executing the liver shrink can be a problem for you come surgery time.
I have to be honest (not judging here), I wanted this surgery so badly that I followed my pre op diet to a t. I was on a liquid only, no food for 10 days.
I think it would have been harder to execute if I had been allowed a chicken breast or salad like some.
I Sam with Dub on this, I would call your surgeons office and let them know you had a stumble, they might suggest liquids only in an attempt to lose a few more pounds by Thursday's date.
This liquid diet is both for your benefit and your surgeons. There have been several posters who made it to surgery day, they began the procedure only to be closed back up and told until they lost more weight their surgery could not be performed. I also read about 1 who ended up with an open bypass because the shrink did not happen as it should have.
Don't mess around with this, you really want to be safe here.

Your surgery is on THURSDAY !!!!!
The pre-op diet is for your safety during surgery.
I'd be less worried about seeking validation than I would be with having a safe surgery.
I would contact your surgeon asap and be honest with them. Perhaps there is a more restrictive liquid only diet that you could follow up until then.
I sure as hell wouldn't want to go into surgery, only to wake up in recovery and find that that your procedure wasn't done.
It's much better to delay and be safe than to proceed if you know you clearly aren't ready.
Only you and your surgeon can make these determinations.

I have Aetna and I have to meet with the nutritionist and trainer monthly. Luckily, my surgeon's office has them on staff! Last appointment is Nov 11. Hopefully, we can submit to insurance and get a surgery date after that!

It is, made Raw pad thai with zoodles today!! yum, went great with rare roast beef.
Red capsicum is like Red peppers, the ones that are bigger and thick fleshed I think. Very high in Vitamin C

After gastric bypass surgery, a cup of hot cocoa will help fulfill two requirements (fluids and protein). The hot cocoa used must be "no sugar added" variety. The milk used should be low fat or no fat. I use Nesquick "No Sugar Added" chocolate. There is 7 grams of carbs and 1 gram of fat per serving size.

Ive discovered Zoodles!!
made them yesterday and today. I added baby tomatoes, garlic, red capsicum, fresh chilly, shredded kale. Sauteed them till they were warm but less than half cooked, then stirred through some fresh baby spinach and japanese tofu. Yum!
Not sure if thats enough Protein but definitely no carbs and so filling.
Like your chicken recipe will try that as well.

Today that first digit on the scale was a one! yay!! Now I can say I weigh a hundred and plenty!

my pre-surgery diet started at beginning of September with cutting out all carbs...I had a monitored daily and within a week decided to stop all meds (this is just me personnally i am NOT advocating you do it). When i had my pre-op last week my a1c had dropped to 6.8 already.
Jiust monitor it will drop and adjust accordingly.
Good luck!

Test often, if you get that feeling of your blood sugar getting low, test it and you may need to drink some skim milk to bump it up.
I was on Lantus and glimepiride, but did not have my glucose levels under control in the months before surgery. I was on a two week pre-op liquid diet with Protein shakes. My blood glucose levels started going down immediately. I would test first thing in the morning and also around meal time. I ended up dropping the lantus completely and cutting back my glimepiride leading to surgery. My glucose levels were generally between 150 and 175 during this time. After surgery, my surgeon told me to follow up with my PCP and to stop taking the glimepiride. My blood sugar crept up a bit, so I reintroduced a small dose of the glimepiride (1/4 of the dose I was taking before) and my blood sugar levels have been right around 150. I anticipate they will continue to drop as I lose weight, and I should be able to come off of it completely in the next few months.
I was also very worried about my glucose levels, but with regular testing it was pretty easy to adjust my medication. I'm sure you'll find it easier than you think.

Life is full of trade-offs. I am 29 months post-op from RNY gastric bypass surgery. I have lost a lot of weight. I fit into fabulous clothes. My stamina (ability to perform physical labor) has improved dramatically. Almost all of my numerous medical conditions are in remission. I still miss food, the taste, the pleasure of eating a great meal, the joys of eating. But I would repeat this surgery in a heartbeat.

Congratulations and good luck, Grace. Our prayers and love our with you!

I have had a few really bad disasters, especially early on in my dive into online stuff.
A particular favorite story was a guy who looked great, sounded great, email exchange - he just seemed like a good fit. Can't explain why, but i just had a good feeling that this was someone I was going to want to keep seeing....
I was smart enough to just committ to meeting for a drink in spite of my optimism... but here is what happened...
He asks me to pick a place and so I suggested a "Tap house" in my town that serves lots of cool local beers and food. Well, right off the bat, it becomes apparent that the photo he posted was at least 10 years old, his job wasn't quite what he said and he was just plain odd. Second, he was clueless about beer - apparently preferred Coorslight to the microbrews. Then - he had weird tics. So, we get to talking and I am being polite and trying to think how to get out of this. I was starving, hadn't eaten and was visualizing exiting as soon as possible and getting myself some food. So, while I am planning my excape he says "are you hungry" - mouth engages before brain and I say "I am starving".... so then, I can't really decline his dinner request. Well, I should have declined, but I was too polite....
so, he picks the restaurant and I order a small appetizer that was a trio of seafood items. Turns out, he is deathly allergic to shellfish so he was completely freaked out about my shrimp etc. I offered to send it back, but he was like "no, it's okay as long as you keep it over there" - so I eat away and then asks about what all is on my plate. One of the items was Ahi served quite rare (as it should be) - and he says to me in a horrifed tone "You EAT RAW FISH?"
It was like a lightswitch flipped. He got over being nervous and tongue tied because he had clearly put me in the "no way pile" over my barbarian culinary tastes. Thank goodness.
The conversation got alot better as he told me all about OCD, how his dad had it, his brother is so afflicted he is basically non functional etc. We actually had a decent time and I learned alot about OCD and exterminators! So, I offered to split the bill but he wanted to pay it saying he had really enjoyed the dinner and liked that he could relax with me (not to mention my food was pretty small/cheap!).
So, about 8 months later, I decided to try "speed dating" and guess who shows up in the rotation! I recognized him immediately and asked him how his daughter and grandkid were doing etc etc. We kinda get caught up and then right before the next rotation he says to me "You are so much better looking then I remember, it must be because the lighting in here is so dim."
I supposed I should have been insulted, but I thought it was funnier then anything - given that he had not aged well, had severe ocd and worked as an Exterminator that was a showstopper for lots of people (which he hadn't originally been honest about). My reply to him was "so glad to see you haven't changed!" I was of course referring to his social skills.
I don't know if it is good or bad but the weirdo/broken people I have met since then were much much much better at disguising their "issues" in the beginning so i haven't had that kind of genuinely odd date since those early days.